Frequently Asked Questions
Anxiety disorders affect more than 19 million men and women in the United States and are also common among children and adolescents. In fact, anxiety disorders are the most common type of psychological disorder in America, effecting people in all walks of life. Physical symptoms may include: Psychological symptoms may include: Behavioral symptoms may include: Types of thoughts may include: Yes. In fact, anxiety is hard-wired into us as a way to protect us from danger. Anxiety can also be called a "fight or flight" response, which means that when we perceive danger, our bodies give us the rush of energy we need to deal with the situation. We also need "optimal anxiety" for peak performance, such as when responding to a true crisis. Sometimes, however, we have "false-alarms" where the fight-or-flight response is triggered in the absence of true danger and causes significant distress and diminishes our social or vocational effectiveness. In these instances, an anxiety disorder may be the cause. Initial visit (diagnostic evaluation) $200 20-30 minute appointment $75 For all other services call to inquire. Any rate changes will be posted one week before they go into effect. Appointments missed without 24 hours notice will be subject to a 75.00 "late cancellation" or "no show" fee (insurance does not pay for this). Dr. Goodman is an in-network provider for Blue Cross of California, Aetna, First Health/Coventry, and Medicare. He also works with a number of clients with other insurance plans as an out-of-network provider. Managed care organizations may negotiate a "single-case-agreement" with Dr. Goodman for their members who lack appropriate in-network treatment alternatives. It is important for you to check with your insurance company prior to receiving treatment in order to determine to what degree, if at all, the service or treatment will be reimbursable. Whether insurance will pay depends upon (among many other factors) whether a diagnosis of a psychological disorder is warranted and the degree to which your insurance company feels this is a medical (parity) diagnosis. Certain disorders, such as a specific or social phobia, may not be considered a parity diagnosis. Insurers often reimburse less for this. The Coastal Center for Anxiety Treatment can bill your insurance company as a courtesy, but the extent to which insurance will pay for treatment is between the client and their insurance company and the client will be responsible for costs not covered under their insurance plan. People with active bipolar disorder, psychosis, suicidal ideation, or addictions need to receive treatment for these conditions elsewhere prior to anxiety treatment. Likewise, people in crisis for problems unrelated to their anxiety disorder (even if it exacerbates the anxiety) may need to stabilize that crisis before anxiety treatment can commence. Also, having motivation for treatment is vital. Because ERP therapy requires a person to begin facing fears, it can be challenging, especially in the early stages. Clients must be willing to initially experience greater discomfort. Those who are "brought in" by a spouse or a parent to be "fixed" tend to not do as well as those have internal motivation to manage their fears. If parent and child have the same anxiety disorder, parents will likely need to treat their anxiety either prior to or concurrently with their child's anxiety. Otherwise, it is like asking a smoker to give up smoking while people smoke around them. Anxiety may be caused by an underlying medical condition. See your medical doctor first to rule this out prior to beginning treatment. In most cases, the answer is yes. If you are seeing a therapist for other life issues and that therapist is willing to collaborate and is supportive of you receiving CBT/ERP then it may be fine to see both therapists. Insurance may not pay for you to see two therapists. It would be helpful to have your current therapist call either to make the initial referral or to provide background into their treatment approach so far. 1. Dr. Goodman will speak with potential clients on the phone to get a brief background into the presenting problem and either set up an appointment or make another recommendation. 2. Prior to the initial evaluation, new clients fill out an extensive intake packet which they bring to that appointment. 3. Dr. Goodman will review the packet at the time of the evaluation and then then meet with the client for approximately sixty to ninety minutes. Following the evaluation, Dr. Goodman typically provides a diagnosis and sends home additional (more detailed) assessments pertaining to the diagnosis and/or provides or recommends reading materials. 4. The next one to two sessions usually involves further clarification of the "nitty-gritty" details of how the anxiety disorder impacts one's thinking, feelings, and behaviors and how the disorder is currently being maintained and how one treats it. 5. Once the client is aware of why they are having the anxiety problem and how it is treated they then are faced with "the decision." Is it WORTH IT to put in the hard work required to deal with most anxiety disorders, even if that means feeling more anxious initially as one faces their dreaded fear? If someone is being pushed into treatment by a parent or spouse, the answer often is "no." If that is the case treatment is put on hold and the client walks away with a better understanding of their anxiety disorder and that there is an effective treatment should they change their mind. 6. If the client decides that it is WORTH IT to face their fears then a list of "exposure goals" is drafted and broken down into small steps. Initial exposures typically are conducted with Dr. Goodman (depending upon the nature of the fears) and clients practice utilizing specific coping tools in the face of their anxiety. 7. Practice, practice, practice...You get out of it what you put into it. If the client does not follow through with treatment recommendations, often it is time and money wasted. For more information see the Anxiety Challenge Blog.
abdominal discomfort, diarrhea/nausea, dry mouth, rapid heartbeat or palpitations, tightness or pain in chest, shortness of breath, dizziness, frequent urination, difficulty swallowing, trembling, numbness, light-headedness, chills or hot flashes, tight-throat or choking sensation
insomnia, irritability or anger, inability to concentrate, fear of madness, feeling unreal and not in control of your actions, worry and feeling uneasy, increased stress, sadness or depression, dread, racing thoughts
AVOIDANCE, asking for reassurance, taking others along when you go out, looking around for signs of danger, carrying "safety" objects, tensing muscles, rituals
I can't handle this! I will collapse, go insane, become ill, be harmed by (or harm) someone, lose control, etc! This will never get better!
45-50 minute appointment $130
75-85 minute appointment $175
Still have questions? Please contact Dr. Goodman by phone at (805) 473-3388 or by e-mail.